Open access to official statistics on the economic, social and environmental condition of a country and its population is an essential element of a democracy. The ABS attaches considerable importance to easy and widespread access by all levels of government, and the community generally, to the statistics it compiles.

A discussion paper on the outcomes of the ABS Pricing Policy Review was released on 8 February . The purpose of the paper is to provide the findings of the ABS assessment of the ABS pricing policy against Australian Government Guidelines.

A revision of the ABS Pricing Policy has been prompted by the requirement for alignment with new Australian Government Cost Recovery Guidelines. The draft revision also reflects the recent move by ABS to make the content of its web site accessible free of charge via the Internet. The ABS’s proposed changes to the pricing policy can be viewed in Discussion paper: ABS Pricing Policy Review Outcomes - Public Consultation, 2006(cat. no.1399.0 )

For further information contact the Director of Client Services, email paul.sewell@abs.gov.au.